A three alarm fire heavily damaged a two unit dwelling at 2 Quincy Street on Wednesday evening, May 20. The fire was reported at 10:07 p.m. and arriving firefighters found heavy smoke coming from the upper floors and flames threatening to spread to an adjacent home at 4 Quincy Street.

As is often the case in Somerville, due to its density, the threat of fire spread to adjacent buildings is always a concern. The home at 4 Quincy Street was literally inches away and flames were lapping at the building next door shortly after firefighters arrived. A hose line was placed in the narrow alley between the homes quickly and flames were stopped from spreading next door. The fire appears to have started in a second floor bathroom ceiling then spread through walls and ceilings to the third floor and attic space. The fire required a lot of manpower to open up these void spaces where the fire was concealed and burning.

Five adult occupants have been displaced. Four firefighters suffered minor injuries and a cat was recovered uninjured from the basement and reunited with its owner.

Charles J. Breen Jr.
Somerville Fire Department
Chief Engineer